It’s a long story how I ended up at a antique store the other day. The quick summary was it was more fate than coincidence. Why I was at that location was tied to an old friend. The person that got me there was also tied to my old friends. I don’t really shop for antiques but I did teach myself photography wandering into local antique shops. It’s almost like stepping into my own past every time I walk into one.
In the back of the shop in the lounge area was an old album that was filled with photos from the 1940s. It was not only an album but a book that told a story of two people. A lady in big white hair curlers stepped out the back and told me the story from what she could gather from it. It was almost haunting looking at these people’s lives that have long since passed. Here are a few shots I took w/ my iPhone.
A view of New York City taken from the Statue of Liberty.
A big group photo. Notice the man in the back right. There’s always at least one person in the group that tries to hide.
I had to take a photo of the old cars.
Seeing that old photo album really moved me. I really don’t even think I can put into words how it made me feel. It reminded me that it’s not all about taking a photo but more so about capturing an emotion. It reminded me why I was a photographer. I might take 1,000 photos but there will always be those few photos that just become priceless in a split second. I hope in 100+ years people look at the couples I have shot and experience those same emotions that I felt the other day.
Being a wedding photographer I feel like a lot of people really don’t understand what I do. I don’t just take photos. It’s really about evoking and capturing raw emotion. It’s really humbling to know people let me into their lives to capture these moments.
This is me back in 2006 in an antique shop learning how to use my Canon 20D and 20mm prime lens. The girl I was actually teaching when I walked in the antique shop just picked up a 20D for $50. I have a 5ft tall photo in my office taken with that same camera. Just goes to show, you don’t need a new camera to take great photos.
